A Pacemaker
An artificial pacemaker is a medical device used to treat patients with a sick sinus syndrome or also known as sinus node dysfunction. Basically what this means is that the sinoatrial node which controls the beat of the heart is not functioning right. When this happens, the person’s heart beat becomes irregular. It could be that the heart beat becomes too fast, too slow or even a combination of both. With the use of a medical device, this is corrected.
The artificial pacemaker is inserted into the patient’s skin somewhere around the left shoulder and beneath the collarbone. What this does is to send electronic pulses to the heart whenever it detects that the sinoatrial node is not sending the signals itself to trigger the muscles to contract thus regularizing the heart beat of the patient. There are different types of this device with different functions in order to cater to the varying needs of the patient. But the basic function is the same. It monitors the electronic signals from the sinoatrial node and sends signals of its own if it fails to do so or it does so in an incorrect manner.
Having an artificial pacemaker, the patient would then have to contend with some minor difficulties such as feeling some discomfort if pressure is applied onto the scar where the device is placed. This is why it is advised to avoid full contact sports and strenuous physical activity. Also, the patient should avoid getting near magnetic fields as these can interrupt the device.
